Battery-filling machine.



C. J. GLEMAH.

BATTERY FILLING MGH-INR.

APPLICATION H-LBD MAR. 29, 1907.

@523553999 Patente June 15, 1909.l

n (a 7 SHEETS-SHEET 1. =f il @jmk C. J. COLEMAN.

'y l BATTERY FILLING MACHINE.

APPLICATION PILEIJVMAB. 29, 1907.

C. J. COLEMAN.

BATTERY FILLING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAB.. 29, 1907.

Pafsente June i w09.

'7 SHEETS-SHEET 3. y

U. J. COLEMAN.

BATTERY FILLING MACHINE. APPLIUATION U'IED MR-29, i907.

Patented June 15,1909.

7 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

C. J. COLEMAN.

BATTERY FILLING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED MARJQ, 1907.

Patented June 15, 1909.

7 SHBETS--SBEBT 5.

by m

G. J. COLEMAN. BATTERY FILLING MACHINE.

APPLICATION ``ILED MAR. 29, 1907.

925,39@ l Pa-tnted June 15, 1909.

, 7 SHEETS-SHEET a.

Patented Julia l5, 1909.

7 SHBETS-SHBET 7.

C. L COLEMAN.

BATTERY ELLLUVGIw MACHINE. APPLIoAToN ILED 141111.29, 1907.

wld

mm uw machine.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEicE.

CLYDE J. COLEMAN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO CONRAD HUBERT, OF NEW YORK,

BATTERY-FILLING MACHINE.

Specification oi' Letters Patent.

Patented Julie' i5, i909.

Application led March 29, 1907. Serial No. 365,397.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLYDE J. COLEMAN, a

citizen ofthe United States, residing in the borough of Manhattan, city of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Batt-eryl"illing Machines,

batteries, and of introducing the carbon or other element and packing the filling matee rial around it, and the object of the invention is to produce a machine toA )erform this operation in an expeditious andl uniform manner, the machine preferably being partly or .wholly automatic in its operation.

l will now describe the construction shown in the accompanying drawings embodying niyvinvention, and will thereafter point out my invention in claims.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the entire Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the line 2 2, F ig. 1. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section'on the line 3 3, Fig. 1. l'ig. -l is a vertical median section of a portion of the machine, showing .particularly the parts direct-ly concerned in the filling operation. Fig. 5 is a detail plan View of the connection between the lifting lever and the packingdevice shaft. Fig. G is a detail front elevation of the actuating lever for the table switch. l"ig. 7 is a transverse section of thc agitator. lig. 8 is a side elevation of the stop switch for the lifting mechanism. Fig. 9 is a sectional view of the same.

switch. Fig, 11 is a front elevation of the same. Fig, 12 is a detaiQeew, partly in section, of a portion of the table switch. Fig. 13 is a. side elevation, from the direction oposite to that of Fig. 1, of the feed-controling switch. Fig. 14 is a front elevation7 partly in section, of the same. f Fig. 15 is a detail plan view of a portion of the machine showing particularly the lifting-lever-actuating mechanism. lig. 16 is a vertical section of t-lie lifting-lever check device. Fig. 17 is a horizontal sectional detail view of the valve in the lifting-lever check device. Fig. 18 is a rear elevation of the lifting-lever det-ent mechanism. Fig. 19 is a plan view lTig; 10 is a horizontal sectional view of the tablel of the same. Fig. 20 is a'sectional view'of the table-'driving clutch. Fig. 21 is a dia'- gram ofthe electrical connections. y

The illustrated embodiment of the invention comprises as its o erat-ing instrumentalities, mechanism for 'ceding and p'osition'- ing the cells to be iilled, a chute for introducing the iilling material into the cells, yfeeding devices for supplying the material to the chute, and a packing device for packingthe material in the cells. l v

The empty cells 1A are placed on a rotary table 2 '(Fig. 2) by the o erator, Abeing positioned thereon bv clamp locks 3 rigidly connected with the table. A clamp wheel 4 coop- -erates with the table, so that as the lcells are brought to the iilling position by-t-lie rot-ation of the table they are engaged by clamp blocks 5 on t-lie clam irmly and accurately ield in position to be filled. a iilling chute 6, which is slidingly connected with a tube 7 connected with a. horizontal tube 8 communicating with a hopperQ in which a supply of filling material is maintained. An agitator 10 keeps the material in the hopper iii a iiuent condition during the lillin'g operation, and a worin conveyer 11 in the bottom of the hopper lforces a stream of material into the tube 7.

The packing device 12 is a rod provided with a helical groove 13 giving it the form 'of a screw, so that by the rotation of the device the filling material may be forced through the chute and into the cell. By this action the material is not only introduced into the cell but is also firmly and uniformly packed therein. The packing device is provided with a lip 14 dividing the lower end of the groove and 'facilitating the packing operation, A passage 15 is provided through the center ofthe packing device to permit the introduction by the operator of the carbon or other element of the cell. This element 16 (Fig. 4) is thus located in the center of the cell and the material is packed around it. At the beginning of the iilling operation'the packing device is lowered to the bottom of the cell, but as the filling proceeds it is raised upon the material beneath it, being free to rise for this purpose, and. when the cell has been wheel and thereby In this position the cell is engaged by is removed from the chute and an 'empty dell substituted. The mechanisms by which these o erating instrumentalitiee fictu l ated Wi now be described, The table and the clam p Wheel are 'i Worm Wheels 17, which are r 5 Worm 18 on a horizontal shalt on the frame of the machine. l pulir loosely j ournaled on the shaft and ed by a belt 21 With a pulley i: power shaft 23. The power sie constantly bya pulley and tions with a suitable source pulley norma-ll f rotates freely o 19, but it forms one member an ele. clutch, so that it may be caused to rotate 15 shaft at such times in the operation et t machine as it is necessary to rotate the t to feed an empty cell into position to be This clutch, Which will, tor conv hereinafter called the table clul 2o dicated generally in the drawings u erence character 25, and its constructshown in Fig. 2l). As there shown, a c p: l cylindrical iron clutch member 25 is linee to the shaft 19 and provided with a solenoid 25 by Which it may be magnetized upon the passage of an electric. current. The clutch member 26 is provided with an annular eled engaging surface 'vzfhich with a corresponding groove in the r u 30 The pulley is made ol soit iron sc traoted by the fixed clutch member lien 'the latter is magnetized, and thus the clutch sue faces are held in irictional contact and th shaft 19 is rotated as long as 35 flows through the solenoid The pulley ie free to vmove longitudinally on the shaft enough to 'free itsell"v lie n contact :fixed clutch member when 'the lf' magnetized, and such longitndin 4o ment is limited by a collar 1 "PY shaft. I The solenoid is ceL` contact rings 29 more 'l bushing 3G on the springs 31 connect the cof. I external circuit (Fig. is provided to stop the ta anism. promptly upon 'i current. f T iis-brake co .A 33 of soft iron Wifi Ab. 5o against the cluiich member An electro magnet circuit as the clutch, act-e shoe away from the elutch wf is flowing, but releases it in the interruption of the cur,

'lease of the clutch,

The packing. device f Sti-provided to Vfacilitate t: of the carbonsvanrl the yoke shaft 37 which rotates and slide in brackets 38 and 3. en the l'r: s machine. A weight 4l() on the upper emi e. the shaft acts todeprcss the shalt and packing devicewhen released by the lin C, mechanism, and it serves also to determine the 'filling material the packing dene et the iilling ophereinafter called ie ivotally con- With a collar 41 it 37. The liften the iframe 'of the i ed at its rear end Vto a sprocket Wheel 15) is con- D ournaled on the frame gear meshing with faalt 5G. @n the other 8g normally-free pulley f i clutch 51 analoiperation to the case the mag- V shaft and the g5 e, belt 53 con- 54 on the v, eh is thrown e el an electric est described operg lever and lift the a pinion ble end el v.

lorciblc llz-)scent of the i f device, check is ate This check com- 1 and 16) pivoted olf the machine and coninected, by a piston lever. A check ut in the piston, is

ce 144 to prevent air or other fluid ed at 14:5 to perg of the fluid, so ie downward move' 105 the couveyer 11 are f be, and the shaft ided with a pulley 7, with a pulley 68 that whenever rota Y packing device the ,fe-uated in unison there 12o its vertical moveng-deviceactuating ked by an arm 69 fixed, l' "es vertically on a bracket 38. When but when the packing device is lowered into operative position vthe chute is allowed to fall, and is pressed vdown against the top of` the cellby a spring 73 engaging the arm- 72,

and thus spilling of the filling material over Y the top of the cell is prevented. The packing device makes a sufficiently close fit with the. chute .to prevent the filling material from flowing from the chute and spilling duringrlthe substitution of an empty cell for the table switch, is located beside the table 2 and Aactuated Ithereby.- This switch. coinprisesadisk75 (Fig. 10)-fixed to a stem 76 which isjOurnaled in a block 77 of insulating' materia-1.,@Theublock is mounted on a .A bracketSLon ythe frame of the machine. A

contact" member l7,9 journaled on the stem is providedlwith a hub 80 having a screw thread engagement with a threaded portion 81 of the stern; This'contact member isada ted ,i tojcontac't with fixed contacts 82 on the b ook .77. A`s'pring'83 is attached at one end to the Contact member and at the other end to thestenfilv Aratchet 84 provided with four teeth engages the contact pie-ce 79 and prevents itpfrorm rotating with the stem 76 until it-isl depresscd'below the teeth of the ratchet. W'lien ythe disk 75 is rotated through a quarter-turn theA spring 88 is twisted, during the first `part of this` movement, the contact ieee being held from rotation by the ratchet,

ut `the screw threads act to draw the contact piece down, so that before the movement ofv thedisk is completed the contact piece is released from the ratchet and is quickly snapped into or out of contact with the fixed contact-s. This switch is actuated by pins 85 on the disk 75, these pins being engaged by pins 86 arranged on the table at such points that at the latter part of a cell-feeding movenient the switch is actuated and thrown into closed position, so as to close the circuit through the switch. This circuit passes, as shown in Fig. 21, from the source of electricity through a wire 87, through the solenoids of a magnet 88, and thence to the common return wire 89 of the system. The

magnet 88'forms part of a switch and detent mechanism shown particularly in Figs. 18

and 19.l The magnet is mounted on thek frame of the machine and has an armature 89 moi'inted'on an arm 90 pivoted at 91 tothe frame. A spring/92 tends to hold the armature away fromthe magnet. 94 is pivoted on the magnet at 95 and has a contact' ineinber96 normally held in engage ment-with afired contact 97 by a spring 98.

A switch armA by `the "ma et.l As shown in Fig. l21,"tliev swit'cli 941s in circuit, through awire. 99, with the table `clutch 25 and its brake, so thatl 'whenthe table switch is moved toclosed position by the pin 86 on the table, as abovedescribed, the magnet 88 is energized, the,

switch 94 is opened, and the table clutch and brake are released, thereby stopping the rotation of the table, and this operation is timed to occur at the moment when a cell has been fed into proper position beneath the chute. VThe armature 89 has the further function of releasing the lifting lever at this.

time to permit the acking device to descend into the cell. engages the rear portion of the lifting lever when the forward end is raised, to holdv the packing device in raised cell-feeding o eration. vhen the ma et 88 is en er 'ze as above described the li ting lever is re eased, and the packingdevice descends. The liftinglever, by the descent of its vforward end, yactuates a switch 102 by which the material-feeding devices and the packing device are thrown into operation. This switch, as shown in Figs. 13 and 14, is of the snap-action knife t y'pe' It comprises contact blades 103 pivota ly mounted at 104 and adapted to en age and 106 alternativfily. The blades are con'-k nected by sliding links 107 with a plunger 108 sliding verticallyl in a frame 109. The

plunger is connected, by a link 110, withv the forward partof the lifting lever, an adjustable connection 111 being provided. Then the lever descends the p unger operates the links 107 toggle-fashion, and thus compresses springs 112 which surround the links, until the links have been depressed slightly below their straight-line central position, whereupon the springs quickly expand and throw the switch blades Into their upper -position, as in Fig. 18, and the blades engage the contact springs 105. This operation ppsition during the contact springs 105 i A lug on the arm 90 engages and depressies the switch when the armature is attracted.

A tetent 101 on the arm 90v closes the circuit through the counter-shaft clutch 60, as shown in, Fig. 21, and thereby throws the material-feeding devices and the packing device into operation. During the lling operation t-he packing device gradually rises, as before described, and -when it has risen sufficiently the lifting lever throws the l switch 102gin the opposite direction, the parts being adjusted to accomplish this at the moment when the cell has been filled to t-he requisitev degree. This interrupts the operation of the feeding devices and the packing device, and the switch closes the circ uit through the wire 1 1 5, the lifting clutch 51,""a`nd the'switcli contacts 106, and the lifting-lever-actuating mechanism operates to lift the packing device out of operative position.

A second switch 116.is interposed in the terrupting the operation of the ing mech Aanism when the packing device has been ports the filling mechanism., and by this ar- Araised to its uppermost position. This switch is similar 1n character to the switch 102, but has only 'one pair of contact springs, 11.9: The blades 117` are pivoted at 118 and connected, by links 120 and springs 121, with aplunger 122 pivotally connected. with a link 123.A An arm 126 on the lifting lever engagesa slot in the link, end When the lever reaches litslowermost position the arm strikes a'block 125 in the'slot and throws the switch, therel') interru ting the circuit and stopping the liing mec anism. ln order to start the ltable automatically into rotation again at this time, to remove the iilled cell and substitute an empty cell, the lifting lever is connected with the table switch so as to open it and release the switch 94- and the leverdtent. A lever 128 (Fig. 6) is pivoted at 129 on the frame oi the machine in position to be engaged by the lifting lever at the end of its lifting movement, and this lever is connected, by a cord-130 assing around an lidler pulley 131, with a side 132 (Fig. 10)

moving in a'guide 183 on the 1bracket 7 8. A spring 135 normally keeps the slide in its lefthand osition, but through the connections described the slide is moved to the` right, and an arml 134 on the slide engages one lof tivo pins 136 on the bottom of thedisk 75 and ro-` tates the disk-through a quarter-turn, thereby throwing the switch and starting the table. The cycle of operations above described is then repeated indefinitely.

It is important to prevent short-'circuiting of the battery during the filling operation, and for this purpose insulating material 237 (Fig. 1) is interposed between the bed-plate 238 on Which the cell-holding mechanism is mounted, and the column 239 which suprangement the metallic portions of the machine in electrical contact with the two elements of the cell are insulated from each other.

It will be seen that the operations of the machine followT each other i in a perfectly automatic manner, the assistance of the 0perator being necessary only in handling the cells and in inserting the carbons at the proper time. ln order to cause the machine to stop momentarily to permit the operator to insert the carbon a hand switch 138 is interposed in thec-ircuit of the counter-shaft clutch. This switch is normally open, so that after the packing device has descended into the empty cell it does not begin to rotate and to lill the cell until the operator has inserted the carbon and closed the hand switch.

The invention has been shown as embodied in a machine for filling batteries of a certain form, but it will be apparent that it may be Whi e the machine is preferably made automatic in its operation, thisis not an essential feature of the invention in its broadest. aspects.

It is obvious that various modifications 'packing device movable longitudinally With respect to the chute and acting to project beyond the chute: and enter the celll and to retreat gradually as the cell is iilled and means ior moving the chute to engage and disengage the cell.

2. A battery-lining machine having, in combination, a chute engaging and termmating substantially at the mouth of a cell to direct the `iilling 'material into the cell, a packing device consisting of a rotating screw longitudinally movable Withz respect to the chute and acting to project beyond the chute and enter the cell longitudinally and to retreat gradually into the chute as the cell is filled and means for moving the chute to engage and disengage the cell. 4

3. A batterylling machine having, in combination, a chute to direct the filling material into a cell, a packing device located in the chute, and mechanism operating automatically to'position an empty cell and hold it stationary beneath the chute, introduce the packing device by a vertical movement thereof into the cell and actuate it therein to iill the cell, and then remove the packing def vice from the cell to permit the removal of the cell.

4. A battery -lilling machine having, in combination, a chute to direct the filling material into a cell, a screvvormed packing device located in the chute, and mechanism operating automatically to position an empty cell and hold it stationary beneath the chute, introduce the packing device longitudinally into the cell and rotate it therein, and then remove the packing device from the cell to permit the removal of the cell.

5. A battery -iilling machine having, in

adapted to fill batteries of otherlorms, and y combination., means for feeding filling macomprising a rotarjT table provided with a clamp block for engaging thecell laterally,

and means cooperating with the clamp block to clamp the cell when it is in position to be 5 filled.

10 with cooperating clamp blocks operating to engage and clamp the cell when it is in position to be lled.

8. A battery-ilIing machine having, in combination, means for filling a cell and for engaging and relatively locating the elements thereof, the members engaging the respective elements being insulated from each other toy prevent short-eirouiting of the cell.

In@ testimony whereof l have aflixed my signature in presence oi two witnesses.

CLYDE J. COLEMAN.

Titnesses BERNARD COWEN, WM. ASHLEY KELLY. 

